


When darkness surrounds us

by Windupsanson



Series: When darkness surrounds us. [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Family Issues, Fantastic Racism, Flashbacks, Implied Sexual Abuse, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Unethical Experimentation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:08:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23986555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windupsanson/pseuds/Windupsanson
Summary: A lancer tries to save a young elezen who possesses the Echo from Garlean researchers.
Series: When darkness surrounds us. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1729510
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fleurette, sister of Foulques has to find a way to protect her student against Garlean forces, will they make it to Gridania in time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more serious CW are applied only to chapter two.

**At the Garlean Experimental Lab in the cold iron fortress that was the Castrum:**

“How could you let the subject escape? Don’t you know his value? What do you think the Tribunus will do when she finds out? We are as good as dead. We need to find him quickly.”

The imperial soldiers were desperate in search of their prisoner.

A few malms away two people were escaping, a duskwight woman and a younger man who appeared to be duskwight himself but with different traits, smaller for his kind and with different ears, shorter for an elezen with a tattoo of two stars on his left cheek. He had dark bluish skin and black short hair along with vivid golden eyes.

“You must be quicker Noire, I cannot carry you and fight,” the woman shouted as she ran, holding the man by the wrist. “I know you’re weaker, but you must run. Those Garleans are close and we have few places to hide.”

The woman’s name was Fleurette Brouillard, an elezen of thirty years with dark grey skin and white hair with gray highlights. She was a lancer and former Wood Wailer of Gridania. She had been looking for a boy that she had left in charge of a family years ago; to have found him in a Castrum was not what she was expecting.

The younger one could barely whisper a word, but did the best to say he was doing what he could.

Knowing that was true and seeing the pain across his face, Fleurette put her weapon away on her back and pushed the teenager onto her shoulders. He winced and made a painful sound, yet didn’t otherwise complain. 

She ran as fast as she could but the unit of Garleans found them, luckily with no magitek armors amidst them. One healer and one mage along with three soldiers formed the small unit.

She attacked the healer first before struggling with the soldiers who tried to catch their real prey, their newest experiment: The half-Duskwight, half-Hyur with the Echo who carried new technology found along with the destructive Ultima Weapon. The small unit was swiftly defeated, and the two returned to escaping. This time the fear seems to have paralyzed Noire and Fleurette had to drag him by his arm even harder while trying to get him out of whatever horrors were going through his mind.

He was lighter than he was supposed to be, but the experiment they created wasn’t built to be heavy. He had been well fed and taken care of but the technology he carried was light.  
The thought of what they had done to him disgusted her.. Fleurette had met Noire when he was younger, before he had the Echo, and had left him with what she thought was a good family.

If only she knew what they were going to do when he showed the first signs of his so-called gift. She swore to herself to kill them. Who sells a person to the Garlean Empire? There weren’t even threats, just money involved.

Finally it seemed they were safer, reaching closer to Gridania from Castrum Oriens. She knew she could find help: the Warrior of Light and her brother Folques were there if she was lucky enough. Florent, the Keeper of the Entwined Serpents, would definitely help as well. He was one of the few Wildwoods she trusted. Maybe Captain Smyth would have some idea it wouldn’t be the first time he went against the Adders and his orders to do the right thing. A foolish but righteous man was just what she needed and those two were perfect. She wouldn’t entrust Noire to anyone else, even if he desperately needed a conjurer. What if they judged him a threat? She knew his life wasn’t worth much to Wildwoods. She swore again that no more harm would come to him.

Fleurette knew exactly where to go. Finding the isolated bard Jehantel first; he was an old friend of hers. For her luck, he was accompanied by Sanson and Guydelot already. She startled them, appearing out of nowhere, but soon enough they were happy to see her. Jehantel said: “Well, look who it is. You have a lot to answer for. We didn’t even know if you were alive those months!“

“I swear I had good reasons. I will explain them to all of you, but first I need someone who I can trust to heal my friend Noire.”

At that moment she moved aside, showing the younger elezen covered with a bloody cape and hiding his face.

“We should get you both to the conjurer’s guild,” said Sanson.

“We can’t, not now. I have my reasons. Please keep our presence here a secret except from Foulques, Florent and My’ya.” 

“I know who to call,” said Guydelot. “She’s a good healer who can keep secrets and I trust her. Her name is Sylphie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.


	2. A brother’s shame, a heart of revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What were Foulques thoughts after his betrayal, what did his family did and others questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be aware of tags.

In the past:

Foulques found himself thinking at the gaol. How did this happen? Why did they betray me? I trusted them, we had agreed to confess together.

Of course it was the duskwight they said, it would make him laugh if this wasn’t the end for him. He had lost everything.  
He told himself he must not cry, he would not give them the satisfaction.

He was poor and needed that money. It didn’t justify it, but if the system was fair to his kind - like it was to wildwoods - they would be more lenient and investigate more, but they didn’t. Of course they didn’t. That was Gridania, who he was protecting so far, who his sister still protected.

His sister! How could he face her? Did his actions shame her? What about her job, her duties? She had worked hard to be a Wood Wailer. He might hate them all now, but he wasn’t going to destroy her work. He should have known better. He shouldn’t let his guilt overcome him to confess.

A sound in the gaol could be heard. He could only think of one visitor, and he could not face her. His sister soon showed up. He expected rage, but what he found in Fleurette’s face was something else; it was sadness and concern. It would have been easier if it was anger.

They had been raised together, almost alone with nobody else. She was his older sister but was also like a mother to him, despite the few years of difference. She was strong and proud and had struggled against every prejudice to become a Wood Wailer and member of the lancer’s guild.

She had her white hair with black highlights tied in a ponytail, not using her uniform and by the Twelve, was she injured? A black eye and what appeared to be a bandage in her arm hurt him to look at., He hoped it was in a battle and not because of him. Please not because of him. Was someone taking care of her? Was she more wounded? Before he could ask she stopped him and asked how was he? Were they treating him right? 

He couldn’t believe it. Where was the anger? The hatred? He had stolen and brought shame to them; one more example of why you can’t trust duskwights. She always tried to be a role model so people wouldn’t judge their clan, and now this.   
He was panicking to see her wounded and yet looking at him smiling sadly.

“What happened?” Was all he could ask even if there was so more much he wanted to say.

“Just a regular fight, you know.” Said Fleurette.

“I meant the truth, sister.” Foulques spoke.

“The truth? The truth is some of my colleagues got a nice beating from me, that’s it, don’t worry. Private Smyth and Florent helped stop the fight. I also decided to resign from my position. It wasn’t all that I thought it was - what Gridania am I defending anyway? I don’t know anymore.” She couldn’t help lower her voice and look down when she said her last words.

“All because of me, isn’t it?” Said Foulques quietly.

“No!” Fleurette spoke plainly and loud. “What you did was wrong, but I understand. What they did to you there is no excuse for., This is not what I’m fighting for! Where was the fair trial, the investigation? All because you’re a duskwight? You even confessed - unlike the others - and got the worse punishment.”  
She was angry now, but not at him. She kept going. “You know how much I care about our people, how much I want to to rebuild us! This is not the way.”   
“Now more important things first. We need to at least diminish your punishment, they are acting like you killed someone.”

“You can’t. Besides, I deserve this. I’m not the only one who did, but I am guilty.” Foulques confessed with a rare display of insecurity.

“The punishment is too harsh, it wasn’t a fair trial or judgment.” 

“I know, trust me, I know!” Screamed Foulques from behind bars. “They should pay for it, traitors all of them, I thought we were friends, colleagues at least. I will make them pay, I will make the people who hurt you pay.”  
“Be honest. Who did this to you, sister? What happened exactly?”

“Foulques, better not know, I was weak and in disadvantage, that’s all.”

“Bullshit, what happened?”

“They called me to talk about how they could help us, before I knew I was alone and a group of my former colleagues surrounded me. I was naive. We fought, I lost, they beat me up and punished me while calling me slurs. What else they did I would rather not talk about, they tried to humiliate me but don’t worry that’s my own revenge and not yours. You shouldn’t let revenge consume you brother. Please.” Asked Fleurette, looking hurt and vulnerable. In that moment Foulques swore to himself to kill every single one of them.

“I haven’t told this to anyone, please don’t tell anyone.” Asked his sister.

“I won’t but the shame is not yours to keep, it’s theirs.” Foulques reminded her.  
She simply smiled sadly.

“I talked to Florent and Smyth, they are arguing about your treatment, maybe we can reduce your penalty at least.”

He was barely listening anymore, too much betrayal, he was to blame, no, they were to blame and they were going to pay, they were cowards, he was a coward but no more, never again he would let this happen, he would be fearless, that he swore to himself.

Fleurette looked sadly at him while noticing he was in his own world, a dark revengeful world, she promised to not let him out of her sight.

Sadly it was not to be, as soon as his incarceration ended he fled with no words to her or anyone else. Her heart was broken with concern. Soon she gave up everything and started looking for him.   
Only one thing in her mind until she found a half hyur half duskwight boy who also lost his sister, she swore she would help both, at first she left him with a family until it was learned he had a gift that could help finding Foulques and she needed any help she could get. She had to rescue him and take him to safety.  
She regretted using him as soon and they became friends but the kind teenager told her he would help anyway in return for her help so far, she started to wonder if she had a younger brother now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.


	3. Foulques trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having his beliefs destroyed and almost dying, what is Foulques fate?

Foulques was introspective while laying in bed. He hadn’t said a word since his rescue. The healer Sylphie though he might be in some sort of traumatic shock. Nobody else but the conjurer, the Warrior of Light, Foulques’ sister, Captain Smyth, Jehantel, Guydelot, Noire and Florent knew about how Foulques was alive after almost falling to his death from a cliff. 

He had explained his history before to the Warrior of Light but his sister gave even more context, including why he had killed those Wood Wailers. She said they had hurt her in the past and betrayed her after what Foulques did and acted against her for what she was, another duskwight. Noire remained quiet while helping Sylphie taking care of Foulques, he didn’t speak but sang to him softly and Fleurette was grateful as always for the young elezen/hyur kindness.  
Fleurette and My’ya, the Warrior of Light, could barely accept how close they got to loose Foulques, if they hadn't reached his hand at the right time... It terrified them. He lived, but was now in shock. Healing the mind could sometimes be harder than healing the body.

They were worried about how to get him back and clear his name. If not hiding him somewhere.

Sanson Smyth wasn’t happy about it, but after talking to Guydelot and hearing the truth from Fleurette he was ashamed of his fellow Gridanians. He still condemned the actions but understood no fair trial would come from it. 

His heart was broken when his old friend Fleurette said in tears: ”What are we for them? For anyone? Why are we less than people?” She broke down at her motionless brother’s side.

She was one of the stronger people he knew yet her emotions were raw and desperate, enough to break his heart. It must have been even harder for Florent, Keeper of the Entwined Serpents, guard of the Elder Seedseer and lover of Fleurette. His duty went against his love. He promised not to tell anything that would get them into trouble, but his phrasing was strange. 

Soon they found out why when Kan-E-Senna herself walked into the room with him. Unaccompanied by any other guard but Florent.

They felt betrayed until she smiled and said she was here on unofficial duty, that her faithful guardian had for the first time asked for her help. She heard a terrible tale of prejudice in the city she was responsible for and couldn’t let that go on. 

She also mentioned that she might help the wounded lancer.   
Nobody understood why, until she explained that Florent Siedairoux, her Keeper had never asked for anything before. She still owed him for a favor from a long time ago.

Not wanting to disturb her brother, Fleurette called Florent in private. She started to yell at him. ”How dare you? I trusted and loved you, and you betray us when we most need your help? I should have known. You are all the same, I knew it…”

Florent tried to calm her down: “I did not betray you. We made a deal and she will help us. She will help your brother, I swear. Please believe me.”

“I can’t!” screamed Fleurette. 

Suddenly a knock on the door, Sanson and Guydelot were asking to come in and talk to them. Fleurette had no patience at the moment but Florent was already opening the door. 

Sanson started to defend the idea of this deal that Florent made with the Elder Seedseer. Of course, thought Fleurette, a naive fool, but strangely Guydelot seemed to agree with Sanson and he was a realistic pessimist with authorities just like her. 

She finally asked, ”What deal?” 

“It would be best if the Elder Seedseer herself said it.” Said Florent.

After some thought Fleurette said, ”Fine, let’s get this over with.”


	4. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to make decisions, what has the Elder Seedseer to say?

They all joined in a private room, Noire decided to stay taking care of Foulques not to leave him alone and knowing he would be a topic of debate.

Fleurette was impatient. Kan-E-Senna annoyed her, the woman didn’t rule as her position allowed her to, just looked at the biggest mess that was Gridanian xenophobia. The Elder Seedseer could be more proactive and Fleurette was going to make sure to tell her that one day.

The Elder Seeder said she had called for the representatives of the other nations to decide what to do with the new Garlean experiment, that it would be wiser to observe him closely and in the meantime they could cooperate in the healing of Foulques.   
The Warrior of Light and Fleurette were shocked, so was Florent, they were treating a teenager who had been through horrible experiences as a threat? 

The xaela Warrior of Light immediately said: “I know exactly what to do with both Foulques and Noire, leave them to my care and to the scions, we are neutral and can train him if necessary. Fleurette can take care of him like this as it’s her role.”

Fleurette simply said: “Fuck you Gridanian! Do you think I will let you turn my boy into an experiment again? To manipulate him for your interests? Absolutely not.” She left before anyone could say a word.

“Let’s see how this meeting goes tomorrow,'' said Florent, “Hopefully we can choose the wiser course.” Clearly disappointed and regretful.

“Yes, that would be wiser. “ Told Kan-E-Senna.

The other scions arrived to see if they could help.

After the Elder Seedseer left they all gathered, Fleurette said:” I need my brother back but I won’t sell out Noire, he will never be used again.”

“I promise he won’t, I will help you, we will help you.” My’ya tried to comfort their friend and new found chosen sister.

Alphinald started talking:”If I may, emotions aside it makes sense for both of them to stay at our care, we can help them, nobody knows the Echo better than us, Master Matoya, Krile, Urianger and Y’shtola can all help both of them, Noire would be safer from outside influences and protected by the Warrior of Light themselves. What better option is there?”

“I agree, we just need to make them see reason.” Said Estinien who almost nobody but the Warrior of Light had noticed.

“Since when you are here?” Asked Thancred.

“Since My’ya invited me to bring a message to Aymeric.”

“What message?” Said Alisaie.

“I asked for his support in this situation, Alphinald isn’t the only one who can think ahead. I asked Yugiri to say the same for Hien and talked to Lyse myself.”

“Well, let’s see how tomorrow’s meeting will go. Spoke Y’shtola.

**Author's Note:**

> With editing from Starships!


End file.
